I invite you to take the challenge placed before us by Socrates—to examine yourself and make your life more beautiful. “The Socratic Challenge™,” as I have termed it, is an invitation to learn a ‘new’ psychology that is—as the saying goes—as old as time. This psychology teaches us about our nature and how to attune to ourselves, like an instrument, so that we can better play the tune that is life.

How so? it shows us how to identify our emotions, question ourselves, and make more informed decisions about how we wish to live. In addition, it instructs us on how to effectively speak with others, so that we might better navigate the journey we wish to take with those we care about (and those we do not).

This is new psychology is really a recovery of a very old psychology that first emerges from the writings of the classical philosopher Plato, who was Socrates’ preeminent student. It is, therefore, properly known as ‘Platonic Psychology.’ Just as Socrates is the great hero of Plato’s writings, so is the life of Socrates instructive for how we should try to live our lives, because of the guidance it offers on how to understand ourselves psychologically. Accordingly, The Socratic Challenge™ takes the lessons of Platonic psychology—which are not necessarily very accessible as written—and imparts a simple practice for thinking that can be applied by anyone (child or adult, couple or family).

We need Socrates today, perhaps more than ever, because we are exceptionally ignorant about our nature. The scale of our ignorance is evidenced by opinions on our nature that have become popular and accepted in society, as well as by those in the field of psychology on how to treat issues with them.